Governor M. Jodi Rell addresses a press conference Tuesday at the Rentschler Field in East Hartford, announcing Chris Palmer, right, as the new head coach of the United Football League's Hartford Team. Also left to right are, Bill Mayor, the team owner and Michael Huyghue, commissioner of the UFL.

Governor M. Jodi Rell addresses a press conference Tuesday at the Rentschler Field in East Hartford, announcing Chris Palmer, right, as the new head coach of the United Football League's Hartford Team. Also

Chris Palmer, a Brewster native and Immaculate High School graduate, speaking at a press conference Tuesday at Rentschler Field in East Hartford. Palmer was named head coach of the United Football League's Hartford team.

Chris Palmer, a Brewster native and Immaculate High School graduate, speaking at a press conference Tuesday at Rentschler Field in East Hartford. Palmer was named head coach of the United Football League's

EAST HARTFORD -- Chris Palmer has spent much of his life turning good football players into great ones.

On Tuesday at Rentschler Field, the longtime NFL coach and former Immaculate High quarterback began the next daring chapter in what has been a long and successful career.

Palmer, who most recently served as the quarterbacks coach for the New York Giants, was introduced at a press conference as the head coach and general manager of the United Football League franchise that is moving to Hartford for the upcoming season.

The UFL is a professional league entering its second season as a developmental league of sorts for the NFL. Hartford will be the new home of the New York Sentinels, who are relocating after one winless season. The soon-to-be-named Hartford team will play its five home games this fall at Rentschler Field, which is also the home field for the UConn Huskies.

"For the last two weeks, I've been out in the community talking to people and we have been received unbelievably," Palmer said. "There is definitely a niche for this league in this area. People are excited about it."

The UFL, Palmer believes, will be a win-win situation for both the fans and the players. The fans get to experience professional football with a much more family-friendly price tag.

"The kids will be able to come to our games, they'll be able to come to our practices and it will be very affordable," Palmer said. "Moms and dads will be able to do this in this tough time economically.

"I think people are going to be very surprised, when they come here to see us play, at the caliber of football players that we have."

For the players, the UFL will be a stepping stone on the path to the NFL. Having coached at the collegiate and professional levels for the past 38 years, Palmer knows a thing or two about player development.

"Sometimes players don't develop as quickly," Palmer said. "All of a sudden they're 25 and they're a different human being and they're ready to play. They just need a chance. I think this league will give those kids an opportunity to play and develop their talents, and I love coaching them."

After a standout career as a quarterback at Immaculate and Southern Connecticut State -- he is a member of both schools' halls of fame -- Palmer entered the coaching ranks. He has held a lot of different posts with a lot of different teams over the years. He served as the offensive coordinator at Colgate for seven seasons and was the head coach at New Haven, posting back-to-back 8-2 seasons in 1986 and 1987. He has coached pro teams in the Canadian Football League, the United States Football League and the NFL. He was the offensive coordinator of the USFL's New Jersey Generals in 1985 and directed an offense led by quarterback Doug Flutie and running back Herschel Walker.

Palmer was the head coach of the Cleveland Browns for the 1999 and 2000 seasons, going 5-27, and served as the quarterbacks coach for the Giants from 2007-09, where he played a key role in the team's victory over the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII by grooming Eli Manning into a solid NFL passer.

Of course, leaving Manning and the Giants was tough. Palmer once said he grew up rooting for the Giants, and his family has had season tickets since the 1950s.

"It was very tough. We had a tremendous relationship," Palmer said of his relationship with Manning. "I think I blind-sided him with the decision ... Eli and I will stay close, but it was a very difficult time."